Sell With Us

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.

Step 1: UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE SELLING

What do you want to accomplish with the sale of your home? Do you want to make a certain amount of money that you can put toward a larger or nicer home? Do you need to sell it as soon as possible to facilitate a move to a new city or area? Once you understand your needs, you can better craft your offer. For example, if you need to sell quickly, you might want to price your home lower than if your goal is to make a certain profit margin. Make sure you convey these needs to your REALTOR once you choose one so he or she can adjust your selling price accordingly.

Step 2:DETERMINE SELLING PRICE

Knowing how to price your home is one of the most important parts of the selling process. When you set a fair price in the beginning, you’ll get the most interest from other real estate agents and prospective buyers. Overpricing your home could lead to reduced interest, and underpricing leads to receiving less than what your home is worth. Working with a real estate agent is the best way to determine the right selling price for your home. An agent with experience can determine what other comparable homes are selling for, evaluate the current market, and may even suggest a home appraisal.

Step 3: START PREPARATIONS

If you’ve kept your home in showroom condition since you’ve lived in it, you’re in the minority of homeowners. Once you price your home, it’s time to start getting it ready to be shown to potential buyers. This includes getting rid of clutter, depersonalizing the space so that buyers can envision themselves in the space, making any small repairs, and doing a deep clean to make sure your home is in pristine condition.

Step 4: DEVELOP A MARKETING STRATEGY

I will develop a marketing strategy that is perfect for advertising your home. This involves listing the home and then driving the right people to that listing through social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, traditional media, or SEO advertising. My team creates a marketing campaign that aims to get the most possible traffic to your listing in the first three weeks after becoming a client.

Step 5: EVALUATE OFFERS

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it doesn’t mean the journey is over. We will evaluate each offer and make sure the party making the offer is prequalified or pre-approved by a mortgage lender and that their offer is acceptable to you. If the offer is too low, you can make a counter-offer or offer other ways to bridge the gap, such as covering some or all of the closing costs, making repairs, adjusting the move-in date, or leaving some appliances or fixtures for the new buyer.

Step 6: ACCEPT AN OFFER

Once we deem the offer is acceptable, we will review the proposed contract to make sure it’s all in order and includes the necessary components such as deposit amount, down payment, financing, inspection rights and repair allowances, contingencies, settlement date, and a list of fees and who will pay them. When both parties have agreed to the term, a final contract will be prepared by your agent.

STEP 7: GET READY TO CLOSE

You have accepted an offer and are now very close to the end of your selling journey. But first, you and the buyer must make a list of what needs to be done before closing. In some cases, your home may need to be formally inspected, surveyed, and appraised. In other cases, major or minor repairs will need to be made before the house can close. I will head up efforts to develop and execute this list, get each action item paid for by the correct party, and make sure everything is in order by the closing date. A few days before the closing date, we will call the company closing the transaction to make sure everything is ready to go. If you haven’t done so already, you also need to make arrangements to move out of the home so the new buyer can take possession.

STEP 8: CLOSE

You’ve reached the last step in the seller’s process. When you close on a home you are selling, you are legally transferring ownership of the property to the new buyer. We will meet with the company closing the transaction to sign the final paperwork and go over any issues that have not yet been taken care of. During this time, you can also make plans with your REALTOR to handle final details such as canceling utilities, cable, and lawn or trash services, changing the name on accounts that the new owner is retaining and ensuring the new owner has instructions for all appliances that will remain in the home.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Once you have sold your home, you’re free to take the next step on your journey. Whether this is relocating to a new city, moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life as empty-nesters, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind for your new path.

What’s your

PROPERTY ADDRESS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Almost There! You’re 1 Step Away

FULL NAME:

EMAIL ADDRESS:

PHONE NUMBER:

TIME FRAME: (Optional)

Middle Name

By providing Hope Mazzola your contact information, you acknowledge and agree to our Privacy Policy and consent to receiving marketing communications, including through automated calls, texts, and emails, some of which may use artificial or prerecorded voices. This consent isn’t necessary for purchasing any products or services and you may opt out at any time. To opt out from texts, you can reply, ‘stop’ at any time. To opt out from emails, you can click on the unsubscribe link in the emails. Message and data rates may apply.

Thank You

We’re gathering your property information. Your home valuation report will arrive in your inbox.

TESTIMONIALS FROM MY CLIENTS

Theresa H.

Hope Mazzola is by far the best realtor! She is an expert at recognizing your needs and has your best interest at heart.

Ava D.

Hope was outstanding: professional and kind. She was a pleasure to work with throughout and smoothly interceded on my behalf at multiple points giving me flawless guidance.

Jeffrey C.

Hope Mazzola is the real deal. Not a part time Real Estate Agent or someone who is not totally invested in the profession. Trust her process, she knows what she's doing and we love her!

William W.

Hope Mazzola is the absolute best! She really knows her stuff and isn't afraid to jump in and get a situation taken care of. She also has a lot of resources for every aspect of the process. You absolutely gotta have Hope!

Jennifer T.

I can't really say enough nice things about Hope. She was helpful and attentive, never pushed us and completely understood what we were looking for in a home. We will be recommending her to all of our friends in Westchester.

Ruth H.

Hope is amazing and a true professional. I've had the opportunity to meet thousands of agents/brokers throughout Westchester County, and Hope is top notch. You can't fake sincerity and she truly cares about her clients/customers.

Samuel P.

Hope is truly a professional and knows the real estate market very well! She was extremely responsive, always willing to go the extra mile and made the entire sale process as easy as possible for us! We would recommend her to a...

Chris B.

Hope has been with us from the start of selling our home until the closing, her knowledge of the area, the market and her professional skills were very helpful. We will be using her in about two months to sell another one of ou...

Seller

We can’t image a better realtor! We were so excited to have Hope market our home! She was amazing, with safety protocols, marketing efforts, and advice. The experience was amazing and we just couldn’t be happier! She is fantast...

Brooke J.

Hope is the consummate professional. She is incredibly responsive, very straightforward and extremely flexible. Hope was patient as I considered listing, then ended up renting out my home in Katonah. All of that and she has a g...

Rachel A.

Hope Mazzola is both highly knowledgeable about the local real estate market and the intricacies of selling an older home. Her assistance was invaluable every step of the way— from advising us on which offers not to accept thro...

Sara V.

Hope is an absolute pleasure to work with! She is knowledgable, highly responsive, willing to go the extra mile, and a lovely woman to boot! Can't imagine going through the process with anyone else. She's connected us with loca...

Seller

Hope did an excellent job as our agent. She provided answers to my questions in a very timely manner and helped me with much more than just the sale of our home. She has an excellent knowledge of the market and was spot on with...

Elizabeth H.

Hope was the most amazing realtor! We loved her so much! She was patient, caring, helped with our two little girls while we were looking at the homes and found us our dream home! We were so lucky to have her. Hope truly made ou...

Ellen W.

Hope Mazzola is an amazing agent! I am an Executor of an Estate and live over 400 miles from the home we were selling in Katonah. Hope arranged for all local service providers we needed to get the house on the market and to clo...

Seller

Hope has a good understanding of the local market and great strategies for marketing a house. She hired a stager who provided excellent suggestions for presentation. Also, Hope recommended several skilled and reliable contracto...

Jason G.

I have been in the Hospitality industry for over 20 years, 10 of those years in global leadership positions. Never in my life would I have expected, I would have one of my most impressive Hospitality experiences buying a home. ...

Seller

Hope was instrumental in my relocation out of state. She is beyond knowledgeable about the market and the town. She is a strong person to have on your side, and will negotiate well on your behalf. She was always available to an...

Daniel H.

We have worked with Hope for years and frequently consult with her about our real estate questions. She is very professional and always communicates quickly and clearly. She most recently helped us find a tenant for an investme...

Seller

Hope is a "Pro's Pro". There was not one aspect of my sale that was less than a Five Star. Hope was flawless. Her advise given from the staging of the house, throughout the sale process and through closing was invaluable. Hope ...

Work With

Let's be real. Real estate agents come in lots of different packages –with each promising to sell your home for the highest possible price in the least amount of time or find you the home of your dreams. Both great promises, but no transparency as to how those agents actually intend to deliver on those promises. Never mind the crazy offers from agents to give sellers double their money back - huh? or to buy a home if they don't sell it (I'm sure THAT isn't going to be the highest possible price). The net net is that it takes exceptional marketing, constant research and a proven system to help sellers sell and buyers buy. With all of the information available online it's hard to know what advice to follow and which expert opinion to believe. And then there is input from the family and friends who know everything about real estate. Hope has dedicated the last 22 years to honing her craft and knowing the current state of the real estate industry inside and out. There is a reason why Hope has stacked up accolades year after year but what does that mean for YOU? Hope is connected, respected, and working harder now than ever before to ensure a successful and amazing real estate experience. Here is the best advice:

Let's Connect

Follow Hope on Instagram

Follow Me

A Step-by-Step First Time Seller's Guide

Step 1: UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE SELLING

Step 2:DETERMINE SELLING PRICE

Step 3: START PREPARATIONS

Step 4: DEVELOP A MARKETING STRATEGY

Step 5: EVALUATE OFFERS

Step 6: ACCEPT AN OFFER

STEP 7: GET READY TO CLOSE

STEP 8: CLOSE

CONGRATULATIONS!

What’s your

CONTACT INFORMATION

Almost There! You’re 1 Step Away

Thank You

We’re gathering your property information. Your home valuation report will arrive in your inbox.

TESTIMONIALS FROM MY CLIENTS

Theresa H.

Ava D.

Jeffrey C.

William W.

Jennifer T.

Ruth H.

Samuel P.

Chris B.

Seller

Brooke J.

Rachel A.

Sara V.

Seller

Elizabeth H.

Ellen W.

Seller

Jason G.

Seller

Daniel H.

Seller

Work With

Follow Hope on Instagram

Contact Details

Hope Mazzola

​​​​​​​#UGottaHaveHope

Submit a Message

#UGottaHaveHope